Mensa Otabil - Hard Work Rewards
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We’re looking this week at words of wisdom from the Book of Proverbs, and we are learning valuable lessons on how to construct and conduct our lives profitably. So we are looking at Proverbs Chapter 14, and we’re now examining verse number four: «Where no oxen are, the trough is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of an ox.»
Everyone who has gone to the gym to work out, whether to lose weight or to build muscle, might have come across the phrase, «No pain, no gain.» If you want to benefit from what you are there for, you’re going to suffer for it. You’re going to work hard; you’re going to have muscle aches. Lactic acid is going to build up in your muscles, and you will experience some pain, but that’s how you achieve your gain. That’s what this proverb is all about, and it’s built around the concept of an ox and its benefit to a farmer.
In ancient days, the ox was the most reliable source of strength and energy for the work of the farmer. The ox would help the farmer plow his land so he could plant seed, and even when it comes to harvest time, the ox would assist in carrying the harvest. The ox was like a machine; it was very important to the farmer. The farmer who has an ox has an advantage over one who has none. However, taking care of the ox was a very difficult process. If you wanted to take care of your ox, first, the ox eats a lot; the trough is where you put the ox’s food, and it will eat a lot. Then, because they eat a lot, they also produce a lot of waste. So, if you take care of an ox, you’re going to be constantly feeding it and cleaning up after it.
The proverb states that the one who has no ox has a clean trough; the trough, where the food is, is clean-there’s no problem. But if you really want strength, it’s going to come from the ox. So you’re making a choice: you want the strength of the ox, and you must also learn to endure the discomfort that comes with owning an ox. No pain, no gain. In reality, nobody likes cleaning up after an ox; nobody wants to work so hard to feed a system. But that is what is required to build it, and that is what life is all about. The things that we want to gain in life come with some work, discomfort, and effort.
Whether you want to build a good marriage or a company, it will require hard work. There will be times you won’t sleep. If you want to progress in your career, it will come through study and a lot of work. Everything you want, whether to be a good footballer or a boxer, requires training hard. Nothing good comes easy. If you want the strength of the ox, then you’re going to clean up after it, and you’re going to feed it.
So life is all about pains and gains; that’s what this proverb teaches us. It’s about work and benefit; it’s about hard work and gain. If you don’t want the hard work, then you’re not going to receive the benefit that comes from it. Each one of us, every day, will be called upon to feed our ox and clean up after it so that we can benefit from its strength, allowing it to plow for us and handle our harvest. So consider all the things you are involved in; look at all the hard work that is required and think of the benefit that comes from it. Bear the pain; be gracious in bearing the pain because there will be gain in the end.
Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank you that through my toil and sweat, you cause me to increase abundantly. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.